Lule Kebab ala Father Vartan Joulfayan

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• These were SO good. I recommend the recipe, in fact I recommend the whole menu!

  Better yet, get yourself invited to feast the *real* Armenian Kitchen; you can't beat it.

  • Aw, shucks... you're making me blush! Thank you for joining us, supplying the watermelon, and for your encouraging words. BUT, none of that meal would have been possible without Father Vartan's recipe - so thanks again, Father Vartan!

• Thank you Der Hayr, Doug and Robyn.
  I broiled it in the oven, Fabulous recipe.
  Khosroff and I loved it.
  Astvadz baheh tzeh.

• I tried this recipe for the heck of and have to say I was not impressed with the end result. I cooked mine with turkey meat on wood charcoal and although the meat charred none of the juices ran out. I suspect this is because of the bread crumbs. Thinking back on it I believe that eggs, breadcrumbs and oregano are 3 things that do not belong in lule kebab.

  • Shakuey, I suspect the problem has more to do with the fact that you used turkey, which is lower in fat than ground beef or lamb. Try increasing the amount of tomato sauce from the recipe and use a little vegetable oil (or lard or chicken fat :-). You definitely need the breadcrumbs and the egg to help the kebab stick together (especially since it is turkey).

    Alternatively, you can cut out the tomato and many of the other spices and use yogurt and saffron. In that case, your recipe becomes:

    1 medium size onion, cut into quarters
    2 garlic cloves
    2 lb. of lean ground turkey
    5-6 tablespoons of plain whole yogurt, slightly strained (1 hour)
    A few threads of saffron diluted in 2 tbsp hot water
    1/2 cup of plain bread crumb
    1 teaspoon of Paprika
    1 teaspoon of red Aleppo pepper (if available)
    1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
    1 teaspoon of black pepper
    1 pinch allspice or ground coriander
    1 bunch of finely chopped Parsley
    A little vegetable oil (see below)
    Juice of One half of fresh lemon (see below)
    1 raw egg

    NOTES: 1) This is off the top of my head, so caveat emptor. 2) I'm not sure about the lemon; it may make the yogurt curdle. 3) Add a couple of tbsps vegetable oil to the meat first and feel with your fingers. If you can feel the oil and the meat has a slight sheen, then it's enough. Otherwise, add a little more but no more than 1/4 cup.

• Ara, I actually did not use a particularly lean turkey for this recipe. I have used even leaner cuts of all beef and juice always comes out of the meat when making lule (or as well call it kefta) kebab. I just didn't care all that much for the recipe, I usually make this type of kebab with simply chopped parsley, diced onion, diced pepper, all spice, Aleppo pepper, a touch of cumin, a touch of corriander and salt and I am good to go. I have never heard of egg in this type of dish and would not use it again. Just a tip, sometimes this type of kebab has a hard time sticking and the main culprit is wet ingredients (parsley, onion, pepper). The key to this is to make sure they are dry as possible, I usually let them soak on paper towels. If you are using a fresh cut of meat there should be no problem binding your kebabs. I prefer doing this around a kebab stick but that just might be me being old fashioned. However, I put them straight on the grill, whereas my parents would have left them formed on the stick and put them directly onto the barbecue.

• Hey Robyn
  What a very beautiful delicious healthy food up there! :O
  If you don’t mind, could you post this lule kebab photos on a food photography website called http://www.foodporn.net to make others live in a healthier way? :)
  Thank you.

  • Jenny,
    Please email me at: robyn@thearmeniankitchen.com. I'd like to know more. Thanks!

• Well I intend to use the first recipe from Memorial day at the Armenian camp upstate, NY. It seems wonderful and the mix looks perfect. father, bring it on. I am looking forward to it. Stay tuned!!!

• Made this recipe last night with two adjustments. First, I generally prefer a bit more fat when I make kebabs, so I went with 1 lb 80% lean and 1 lb 85% lean. Second, I subbed gluten free breadcrumbs since my wife is gluten intolerant.

  First, let me say, these kebabs tasted phenomenal. Both my wife and I really enjoyed the flavor. Unfortunately, I found the meat mix to be very soggy and ultimately, it didn't hold up well on the grill. I'm sure my substitutions may have played some part in that, though I've used the same brand of GF breadcrumbs 1:1 in other recipes with no issue. After thinking about the results, one thing I don't see called out here that I've seen in other similar types of ground meat kebabs is spending quite a bit of time mixing/kneading the meat, like 5+ minutes, until the mix gets pretty sticky. I'll definitely be giving this recipe another try in the future and will try mixing the ingredients longer to see if that helps hold things together.

  • Chris, I'm happy to hear you liked the taste of Fr. Vartan's lule kebab; he'll be happy to hear this! I must confess-I've only made these in the oven, so I'd be interested to know the result of your next preparation effort.

• Hi from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Made this great recipe for my Armenian wife who, of course, grew up with lulu kebobs.. I cooked them on a gas BBQ and they were very good. She said these are the best ever! Thank you Father for sharing the recipe.

  • Derrel, I apologize for the delayed response, but thank you so much for your positive comment. Father Vartan's recipe is a definite favorite in our home, too!